


I was late

by clairedehyun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Inspired by Interstellar (2014), M/M, Space!AU, i'm sorry in advance, space is a bitch, this was written in like 10 minutes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 17:31:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16896942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clairedehyun/pseuds/clairedehyun
Summary: Dotae. Space. Suffering.





	I was late

**Author's Note:**

> This was an old, quick and very short drabble I made for dotae that I decided to post here with just a few variations. Will proofread later btw

_One month_. He played with his fingers in his lap, boredom getting the best of him almost immediately a tad more each day. He looked around for his computer, tired of staring at the same things. “Routine is what will save you from insanity”, that’s what they always used to say during training. And what will save you from the routine? They never taught Taeyong that. He now had all the time to figure it out. Time never lacks in space, everyone knows that. The problem is, everything else does. Light, air, gravity, human touch. He never thought he could be so addicted to something until he realized how featherbrained it was of him to even suggest he could manage it on his own. He couldn’t. And now he doomed himself to years of solitude. Taeyong knew at least one person had to stay behind, that there wasn’t enough space in the pod for two people, that all of that was just the result of mere logic and practicability, but he still cursed his existence. He acted all tough and uncomplaining because he knew he needed to do it in order of him to leave safe and serene, but inside, inside there was a riot. He didn’t know how long the supplies were going to last, how long it will take him to come back, how long he was it was going to take for him to lose his mind or even worse, to die. His life was gripped to a feeble red filament, tied on the other end to Doyoung’s ring finger.

 

 _Ten years_. Taeyong fidgeted in his seat, trying not to imagine how many times he would have to look at his surroundings again and sense the stillness emanating from his lonely presence. The overwhelming blackened void seemed to lengthen a little bit more each day, wrapping its tentacles around his mind, poisoning the last shred of sanity he had left. But he had to endure it. For his sake. For _his_ sake. The only thought that kept him going was that he was coming back, that they would go home together and celebrate everything they had accomplished, something that was never done before. He was going to see his face again, untouched by age and fatigue, while maybe his had wrinkles and creases, with that wholesome smile he replayed in his dreams every single night. He was going to hold him in his arms, ruffling his hair, telling him he missed their quarrels, that he wanted to cook for him again and that it was a complete injustice that he was the only one who looked young and healthy between the two of them and if he heard him bragging about it, he will kick him out of their house. He looked for his visage in each reflection, jolting every time he could notice a passing light. The worst thing was that he couldn’t even trace his face properly anymore and that saddened him more than anything. He swore to himself the first thing he would was to brush his eyelids and trace his cheekbones with his fingertips, much like a blind man would do. That’s what he had become, a blind man. Because not seeing him was like not seeing at all. Taeyong longed for home, longed to see their dog again, to wake up during a Sunday morning and prepare breakfast surrounded by the silence, interrupted just by birds chirping. The silence that engulfed him in that moment was completely different. It was cruel. It was relentless. And it was deafening. But he was coming back, that’s all he needed to know.

 

 _Twenty-five years._ When he opened the spaceship, the few hopes he had summoned before deciding to step foot inside were crushed with a fatal blow. Doyoung looked straight in front of him, towards the exact same spot where he left a piece of his soul twenty-five years before, hoping he would finally be able to sew the remaining pieces together. What he found was the image that fueled his nightmares, the one thing that motivated him to do better, to go faster, to risk everything for a second less. Now it didn’t make sense, he could wait for another ten years all alone. His soul was going to be broken in half for the rest of his life, however long fate decided it was going to be, He was late, not by five minutes nor by one hour. He was late the moment he decided to go alone, leaving Taeyong behind to wait for him because there was only one pod available, and now he was going to feel the aching of the consequences of his decision through each breath. «I’m sorry I was so blinded», he whispered, his eyes moist and swollen. He couldn’t bring himself to take one more step, his eyesight hindered by the tears running down his cheeks. «I’m sorry I was so selfish». He noticed a sparkle shining through Taeyong’s lifeless hands and his heart stopped when he realized what it actually was. He proceeded heavily, his stomps echoing in the space around him. He picked the bracelet he was holding, the one he gifted him before departing. That was their red string, a string that was now half the length it should be. Doyoung closed his eyes, a knot forming in his throat. He was stupid, he was oh so stupid. He was the one cut their string, not Taeyong. He cut it when he allowed himself to leave. «I’m sorry I left».

**Author's Note:**

> INTERSTELLAR RUINED ME


End file.
